Park renovation follows Vulcan reconstruction

Now that Vulcan is back home, it's time to spruce up his surroundings.

"There is still a lot to get done," said Katherine Billmeier, executive director of the Vulcan Park Foundation. "It's all happening so fast."

The scaffolding will be coming down from around the pedestal in the next few days, making way for an observation deck to be installed in July.

The stainless steel platform is being built off site and will be attached to the pedestal near the top, allowing visitors to get a closer look at Vulcan and an aerial vista of the Birmingham area.

An external elevator of poured concrete is already being constructed to carry visitors to the observation deck.

Most of the stone and mortar work on the pedestal is complete. The tower windows will be replaced over the next several weeks. Work will start in late July or early August to expand the tower base back to its 1936 design.

Site work on the park grounds will also be taking place over the next several months. Construction of the visitors center is set to be complete in September or October and will be followed by interior work, including adding the displays and audio and video presentations.

What will be inside:

Visitors will see a video animated presentation of how Vulcan was cast and how the process differed from other statues.

There will also be a film about Birmingham's birth and growth, and a video of interviews with city leaders over the past 30 or 40 years talking about the changes Birmingham has gone through.

The former Vulcan torch will be an exhibit, as will the replica of one of his legs that once stood in the park.

Robinson Iron Corp., the Alexander City company that handled the statue restoration, made an extra hammer and spear that will be on display in the park to give those on the ground a sense of the scale of what Vulcan is holding in each of his hands.

A 40-foot square granite topographic representation of Jones Valley will be built on the park site between the pedestal and visitors center. Various colors will represent the different natural seams of minerals and other materials. The map will also show where Birmingham's major industries have been located, including railroads and other features.

Landscaping, walkways, lighting, benches and common areas will be among the last steps in completing the Vulcan Park renovation. Many of the additions will be elements that were a part of the park's design in 1936 when the Works Progress Administration built it.

The park is set to open in January. A grand opening weekend celebration, VulcanFest, is set to take place later in 2004 to mark the statue's 100th birthday.

The Vulcan Park Foundation is seeking volunteers to work at the park after it opens. The foundation also needs more money, having collected $13.2 million of the $14 million it needs to pay for the restoration and construction. On the Net Vulcan Park Foundation: www.vulcanpark.org